Queen Mistress of the Knights of Ren
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: "She leaned into his touch with a longing sigh, even as her thoughts implored both him and her to see reason. Don't reach for my waist... don't lean towards my lips... just... please... look at me..." A TROS Reylo romance. And remember the Knights of Ren from Nobody Needs to Know? They're baaaack... Please read, please Review and most of all, enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Look At Me

**Chapter 1: Look At Me**

The glow from the fire's light danced across the Pasaana plain, creating a peaceful atmosphere alongside the twinkling stars above. Music floated over the dunes to where Rey was seated alone, forlornly observing her friends having a wonderful time. Being at war as they were, the Resistance had precious few moments in which they could celebrate. The Aki-Aki were gracious hosts, supplying Poe Dameron and his soldiers with plenty of food, wine and shelter.

In the last year since Crait, the remnants of the Resistance had grown quite close. But Rey, being the Last Jedi, was part of a family for the first time in her life, and yet had never felt so alone. Which explained why she had left the party early, leaning against the dune and trying to read her Jedi texts. They were the farthest thing from page-turners, however, and she soon found herself playing with the golden necklace one of the Aki-Aki had gifted her with. It was an ornate pendant, and as she fingered it, she imagined that a certain Supreme Leader of the First Order had gifted it to her instead.

Ben. Since leaving him on Crait, Rey had told herself she had made the right decision. And, politically and ideologically speaking, the validity of her decision had remained intact. But personally... she was starting to regret the day she had ever walked away from him. No one, not even Finn, would ever understand her the way that the black-haired, green-eyed man did. She didn't want Kylo Ren, or his power or protection. She wanted Ben Solo and his understanding. His love. If only they could have bridged the gap... she would have stayed. If only he had turned back to the Light. If only she had stayed. Things would be different, she knew.

He might have gifted her with a necklace just like this one. Perhaps it would have come with a promise, a proposal. Perhaps not. Yes, his proposal to her on the Supremacy had been painfully awkward in its wording, but still sincere. Sweet. In this alternate reality, in which Ben proposed marriage to her with gifts of the heart and more elegant turns of phrasing, she might have happily said Yes.

They might have married in a tiny chapel, or a palace garden, whatever suited them better. They might have exchanged rings, as was customary on Rey's homeworld of Jakku. She might have worn a white dress and flowers in her hair. Flowers that were Ben's favorite.

And then he might have carried her across the threshold of a tiny cottage, and made sweet love to her in their marriage bed, with her moaning beneath him. They might have made love every night, until her belly became round with his baby. First would come a girl... then a boy. Two children - one of each - would have been quite lovely. No, three. Four! A household teeming with children. Her and Ben's children. And they might have trained them to be honorable Jedi, balanced in the ways of the Force. Or they might have encouraged them to be whatever they wanted to be, if that was the desire.

They might have had all that. She and Ben might have had all that... if she had stayed. If he had become the man she wanted him to be. The man she loved.

Rey was so engrossed in her fantasy, that she didn't hear the telltale squelching sound of time and space blurring together. Of the Force Bond being activated. Even then, she might not have registered it - their last Bond had been months ago. So, it was with shock that she glanced up, with tears glistening in her eyes, to find him standing before her, wearing an expression that appeared puzzled.

"You summoned me, my lady?"

His gallantry and romantic phrasing made her blush. Thankfully, the blackness of the night effectively hid the pink in her cheeks. Not so easily obscured, however, were her tears, which Rey frantically tried to wipe away. "I... I don't think the Bond works that way, Ben."

Comfortingly, he didn't chastise her about calling him by his birth name. "Maybe it didn't back then, but it does now. The Force told me you were thinking about me, and here I am. The Bond... it's growing stronger."

Rey scoffed and struggled to her feet. "How? We haven't seen each other in months!" She immediately regretted her phrasing. Seen each other... Almost as if they were seeing each other in a romantic sense. As if they were romantically involved. Her face glowed red. Concentrating, she sealed off her thoughts from the Force. If what Ben said about the Bond was true, these were thoughts she didn't want to share.

But Ben's presence was not poking around her brain. In fact, from what she could sense, his thoughts were jumbled as he took her in. Noticed her white Jedi robes shining in the moonlight.

"Wow. Your robes. You look... breathtaking."

She faltered, self-consciously taking her hair and running it between her fingers. She turned her face away, to hide a pleased smile. "Thank you," she murmured quietly.

She felt Ben grin back - a real, genuine, her-Ben grin - as he stooped to pick up her Jedi text. Rey waited for him to chide and berate her for buying into Skywalker's brainwashing and the lies of the Jedi. But no lecture came. He simply drifted up beside her and handed the book back. "Here. You don't want to get sand in these pages. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere."

Rey's lips upturned in amusement. "I didn't know you hate sand." Growing up on Jakku as she had, she possessed a resigned, nostalgic affection for the element... which had only grown since leaving the planet.

Ben shrugged. "It's genetic. A family trait. My... my uncle grew up on Tatooine, a miserable desert world. So did his father before him."

Rey couldn't help but giggle.

Just then, the faint music coming from across the plain slowed into a soft waltz. Probably the last song of the night, beautifully played by the Aki-Aki's native instruments. "Oh! I recognize this song!" Rey said excitedly. "It was a favorite of General Leia's; Poe taught it to me!" She caught herself and sent a nervous glance to Ben, hoping she had not angered him with the mention of his mother.

But Ben's expression was placid in that moment. Wordlessly, and quite gentlemanly, he held out his hand and bowed. "My lady? May I have the pleasure?"

Rey's eyes widened in astonishment, even as she beamed, deeply amused. Taking the thin hem of her tunic in place of a dress, she daintily curtsied. "You may, kind sir."

Ben moved on her quickly, surprising Rey as he took her in his arms, resting a large hand gently on her hip. Rey glanced down to where his palm rested, then back into his eyes, gazing at him as she took in breath sharply, shaken by his touch. With his free hand, Ben laced his fingers through hers. Holding each other's eyes, the pair began to waltz. Their feet sank into the deep sand, making their steps less graceful than either of them would have liked. Or, at least, Rey felt that way about herself. Ben hardly seemed affected by their choice of dance floor.

"You dance... divinely." Rey landed on the description clumsily and Ben's bemused frown caused her to giggle awkwardly at her word choice. "Um... Where did you learn?"

"On Chandrila. The palace court offered lessons and my mother enrolled me from the time I was small. I guess she hoped it would groom me into a proper man of society." He twirled her expertly, and Rey grinned shyly.

"You must have had dance partners, then. Did you compete?"

Ben pulled her flush against his chest. "Once or twice, just to keep my mother happy. But then I got tired of it. So I quit. Told her I didn't think I was any good."

Rey smirked. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She let out a sudden yelp of surprise as, coming out of another spin, Ben swept her off her feet and spun them around in a circle. Rey had no choice but to fling her free hand around his neck as their eyes locked. He set her down as gracefully as he had picked her up and into the next move they went. Before long, Rey found herself resting her head against Ben's chest as they eased into a gentle sway. Occasionally, she would gaze up into his face, her heart beating erratically at the tender look he bestowed upon her.

The rocking motion eventually swayed to a halt, and Rey and Ben gazed deep into each other's eyes. It was just like in the elevator, when they had both felt a connection deeper than even the Force Bond they shared. It was... raw passion. It was... sexual. As sexual as the dance they had just undertaken. This made Rey think of how Ben had danced with other girls before and her heartbeat started to staccato erratically in fear. Nevertheless, she felt the need to ask, while gazing up into his face through hooded, fluttering lashes, her voice impossibly soft.

"Ben... have you ever kissed a girl?"

There was silence for a long time. Rey's eyes were almost completely lidded now, closed as she felt a paw of a hand reach up to caress her face. Eyelids fluttering ever so slightly, she observed how Ben was still fixing her with that beautifully tender expression. She leaned into his touch with a longing sigh, even as her thoughts implored both him and her to see reason. Even as her heart cried out that she would do anything, _anything_ he asked, so long as he never ceased to look at her like that.

_Don't reach for my waist... don't lean towards my lips... just... please... look at me..._

She waited, on baited breath, for Ben to finally close the gap and kiss her. For her to feel what it was like to have Ben Solo's lips pressed against her own, smothering her in the most heavenly way. But no kiss came. After a minute or two, Rey opened her eyes to find...

Ben had disappeared. Kriff. The Bond connection must have broken. Sighing in crestfallen disappointment, she turned to stuffing the Jedi text he had handed her back into her satchel.

"Rey!"

She glanced up to find Poe Dameron running across the sands, a small spotlight in hand. "There you are! We've been looking all over for you!" With his free hand and a friendly smile, he held out a canteen. "Are you thirsty?"

"_So_ thirsty!" Rey gasped, wheezed. And not just for water, she found, even as she snatched the canteen out of Poe's hands and began draining it of its contents.

Although Rey's intense reaction left Poe deeply perplexed, he could only smile. "A parched throat is the biggest ailment for a girl from a desert world, I suppose."

* * *

Rey berated herself for not giving Chewbacca more specific instructions about where to store her belongings. But she had been so busy with the _Falcon_'s pre-flight check, she hadn't had time to go into greater detail. It wasn't necessarily the Wookie's fault that his perception of height was deeply askew - eye-level for him was nearly at the freighter's ceiling. It would be just like him, therefore, to store her box of meager possessions (including her Jedi stuff) on the top shelf of Han Solo's former closet. Which, at present, was just out of arm's reach.

Rey hopped once, hoping to at least get a handhold around the shelf and chin-up her way to the box, then slap it down. No good. She blew a raspberry in frustration. Poe and Finn always teased her good-naturedly for being so petite. Which, for Finn, wasn't exactly playing fair - he was about the same height as her, maybe a tad shorter.

She tried again, and her more pronounced "Grrr!" of frustration must have masked the squelching sound of the Bond activating, for a voice suddenly said:

"This would be funny if it also wasn't so sad."

She glared back at Ben. "You could at least help me!"

"You could at least attempt a Force leap," he retorted back.

Rey blinked. "That's a thing?" she whimpered weakly.

Ben let out a bark of a laugh, shaking his head. "What _did_ Skywalker teach you on that rock?"

"Hardly anything," Rey said quietly, almost embarrassed. "I mostly taught myself."

Ben sighed. "Well, then, I'll teach it to you. However, since we have little room..." Before she could react, he had come up behind her, taking her by her hips and hoisting her into the air. Rey chuckled in surprise, but quickly took advantage of the boost to grab for the box. "Got it!"

Ben gracefully set her down. "Have what you need?"

"Yes." _And more_, Rey added silently, remaining at rest in his arms as she craned her neck around to smile at him. "Thank you, Ben," she beamed gratefully, without thought.

Ben grinned kindly back. "You're welcome, Rey." - also elicited without thought.

Still smiling, the pair leaned in as one and shared a chaste kiss on the lips without thought.

They snapped apart a moment later, however, this time with many thoughts swirling and bashing into each other across their Bond. Ben had flushed an adorable shade of red, and appeared to have swallowed his tongue. The stuttering only worsened as he took in Rey's innocent, doe brown eyes.

"I...I... don't know what... I'd... I'd better go." Releasing Rey from the embrace, he stood there for a minute, awkwardly waiting for the Bond to simply shut itself off. Coming to the conclusion that the Bond could not be simply deactivated on command, just as it could not be activated on command, Ben sheepishly turned and began to walk away.

Coming to her senses, Rey lunged for his hand. "Wait!" Turning him, she stood on her tiptoes and bravely, tenderly kissed him. This time, she held it, brushing her mouth sweetly against his so as to memorize every chap, every square inch. Finally, her thirst satisfied, she drew away.

"I... miss you." She very nearly chose a different verb, though lost her nerve. That didn't, however, make her statement any less true. She _did_ miss him - deeply.

The stare Ben now sent her was smoldering, and Rey was nearly ready to simply beg him to kiss her again, when...

He disappeared, leaving Rey with only a box, her tempestuous musings and the lingering tingle of his lips on hers. Touching a finger to her mouth, a stunned Rey sighed before moving out of the closet.


	2. Chapter 2: Stay in Your Lane

**Chapter 2: Stay in Your Lane**

Kylo hated it whenever his TIE fighter had to be serviced in the First Order shipyard. Without his favorite ride, he was forced to commission a shuttle, as renting out TIEs could be quite expensive. This shuttle rental almost always meant that he had to withstand traveling back and forth with his Knights... usually as their chauffeur, as he was the best pilot. It was a miserable chore, making him feel that he was driving a hydro-lift bus filled with Coruscanti schoolchildren, for how immaturely most of his Knights conducted themselves.

His comrades weren't a bad group - five other rambunctious men and one woman. But Kylo cherished and preferred his solitude and never enjoyed being in the company of others for long.

Well, except for one person... _Rey_...

He was all but convinced that simply thinking her name could conjure her into being - a useful development on the Bond's part. There she was now, in the same white tunic that glistened in the sunlight. Invisible to everyone else but him, he found himself watching her run through the shuttle like a ghost. She was beaming, happy, laughing about something...

And then someone else inexplicably and quite unexpectedly appeared in the Bond, as if stepping into the frame of a camera. Someone else who appeared to be the object of Rey's merriment.

A Resistance fighter pilot in an orange jumpsuit, sporting a dashing, million-watt grin, appeared to be giving chase to the young Jedi. And Rey was enjoying it. "Poe! Stop! You tease!"

Poe finally caught Rey from behind, spinning her around as she shrieked in delight. Setting her down, Rey happily turned and hugged the pilot around the neck.

The fire of both Tatooine's suns, and every sun orbiting above every Core world, burned through Kylo's bloodstream at that moment, sending liquid fire straight into his heart. His heart which was now howling in protest. He unconsciously tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his eyes unable to look away. His anger was only fueled by something he had heard earlier, a throwaway comment by Rey the night they had shared their romantic dance.

_Oh! I recognize this song! It was a favorite of General Leia's; Poe taught it to me!_

So, she had danced with someone besides him, had she? Kylo glowered bitterly. Who the hell was this prancing interloper anyway? Who was this _Poe_? It couldn't be the same Poe Dameron, the pilot who had replaced Kylo as Son in his mother's eyes. The same Poe Dameron who had stolen his birthright, and now appeared quite intent on stealing _his_ girl. _His_ Rey.

Stepping out of the hug, Rey's shining eyes dimmed as she happened to catch a glance of Kylo. Falter once she realized the Bond was open. "Ben," she breathed, clearly taking in the murderous expression on his face.

"Stay in your lane... STAY IN YOUR DAMN SPACE LANE!" The bellowing voice of Lombard Ren, Kylo's second-in-command, suddenly cut through the haze and ultimately severed the Bond. "Eyes on the road!" Snapping his focus back to the deep space highway, Kylo swerved through a fancy evasive maneuver to avoid going against the flow of traffic and crashing headlong into a spice freighter. A shaken Kylo pulled up, but he was still more disturbed by what he had seen, and not that he had nearly caused an accident. Lombard collapsed in the co-pilot's chair in relief, but eyed Kylo curiously.

"What the kriff is with you lately, man? What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Kylo lied, his voice stronger than he felt within. "Lack of sleep."

* * *

Rey huffed in frustration as she tried to forcibly jam the tiny spare part into her lightsaber. One part! One part away from finishing the repair to Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber and it wouldn't fit. Because of course it wouldn't. The part must have fit before - if there was one thing she had learned as a scavenger, it was that every part, every piece of scrap metal had some function. So why wouldn't this tiny little part go in?

She gingerly set the saber, and its missing piece, down side-by-side on the gangplank of the _Falcon_, where she had been tinkering for most of the morning. The day had been quiet so far, broken only by fighter pilots coming in and out to do routine repairs to their ships. A dogfight had occurred against First Order forces in the skies above Kessel, just a few days before. Poe, Wedge Antilles, and a handful of survivors had managed to limp back alive, licking their wounds and mourning the significant casualties. Rey was sure the deaths weighed heavily on the Commander's mind. He needed a depletion of forces right now like he needed a hole in the head. Losing General Leia Organa several months back had been traumatizing enough.

The large hanger doors creaked open at that moment, and a battalion of pilots jogged towards their ships. An automated voice over the intercom summoned them to preparations for reconnoissance flights. Good. At least it wasn't a battle. Maybe Ben would leave them alone for once, as Rey watched Finn pass on by, giving newly defected Stormtroopers a tour of the facilities. She resumed tinkering, hoping that the few-minutes rest would allow her to return to the construction with fresh eyes.

Close to a year of studying the Jedi texts on lightsaber construction, taking the Skywalker saber apart and then slowly building it back up again, had led her to this moment. All of it done by hand. And yet she was stuck. It would be just her luck if there was a method to repair or build lightsabers with the help of the Force. If such a shortcut existed, Ben would know of it... but she had never felt comfortable asking him. She needed to have confidence in her abilities - was she a scavenger or wasn't she? Still, Ben would know what to do...

"You've been acting really strangely recently, Kylo,"a female's voice cut through the haze of the base, as the last of the fighter pilots peeled out of the hanger and Finn's tour group rounded the far corner and out of sight. "Is everything OK?"

Rey's head snapped up from her lightsaber. _Kylo_? How was he here?

For suddenly, there he was, several yards in front of the gangplank... and talking with a woman. The woman was dressed in an ensemble similar to Kylo's - another Knight of Ren? Perhaps... except she was wearing no mask, giving Rey an unencumbered look at her. She was pretty, one might even say striking, with hair almost auburn in color and deep green eyes. A broad forehead and full lips. Skin alabaster in color. She could have been a model, or a call girl in the dive bars of Coruscant.

And for some strange reason, this woman had somehow been tapped into Rey's Force Bond with Ben. It had never happened before, where one could see the other along with additional people who might be close by. Or had it? There was that one time Rey had glimpsed Ben about a week ago, when she and Poe had gotten into an innocent game of tag through the Naboo lake country. The expression on Ben's face... had the Bond afforded him the ability to work out her surroundings, where she was? And more importantly, who she was with?

"I told you, Gaia. I've just been stressed."

The female possible-Knight, this... Gaia, drifted closer. "I don't believe that. I sense more. You're... tormented. A fixation... on someone."

Ben right now appeared extremely nervous. And in this moment, Rey could tell just by reaching out a tiny bit that he was blocking his thoughts - from Gaia and (unknowingly) from her. Gaia was now way too close to Ben, even reaching up to brush back some of his long black hair that was falling into his eyes.

"Is it me?"

No response from Ben. The wall around his thoughts was airtight, but seemed in danger of cracking. A tiny blip of unconscious thought darted out, causing Gaia to pause. Her brow furrowed. "Someone else?... I see. But, Kylo... I'm here if you ever need anything."

Ben nodded. "I know that."

She hugged him, resting her head comfortingly on his shoulder. Rey stood frozen, gaping, her eyes rapidly filling with tears.

Her breathing was becoming erratic, coming out in hyperventilated gasps. The beautiful fantasy she had dreamed that magical night on Pasaana came roaring back, only this time, sickeningly sped up... and with Gaia in place of Rey.

It was Gaia holding Ben, kissing him... Ben making love to Gaia in a soft bed... Ben standing before an altar with Gaia, the bride adorned with flowers in her hair, Ben's favorite... Gaia again, with her belly beautifully round and Ben's arms around her middle. He was... happy...

Gaia would get it all... and nothing left for Rey. The tears streamed down the poor Jedi's cheeks. _Not for me, not for me, not for me..._ Her grief acidly mixed with a boiling and bubbling wellspring of anger and soon from her throat came an anguished cry.

"GAHHHH!"

Lightning. Actual, ever-loving _lightning_ shot from her fingertips, aimed straight at the two Knights still wrapped in a close embrace. Ben was the first to sense the danger and leap out of the hug, swinging Gaia protectively behind him.

"Look out!"

Just like that, the Bond was severed, but not before Ben got a clear view of just who was casting the Force lightning. Even then, the blue sparks might have hopelessly missed their mark - as far as Rey knew, some of the early rules surrounding the Bond still applied. Just like the one which stated that harmful projectiles, like blaster bolts and Force lightning, could not affect the person on the other side of the Bond. This is why the blue sparks arched instead and blasted a shipping crate to smithereens, causing a small explosion.

When the smoke cleared, Rey observed Poe Dameron tentatively stepping out from behind a row of astromech droids, behind which he had apparently just managed to take cover.

"Whoa, Rey! That was... awesome!" There was humor and admiration in his voice, but it was strained, accompanied by a disconcerting, unfamiliar look in his eyes: fear.

Rey jolted out of her tormented mind at the realization that she wasn't alone and cast her eyes down, ashamed. Sinking back onto the _Falcon_'s gangplank, she buried her head in her hands. She desperately didn't want Poe Dameron to see her cry. But she sensed him drifting up to the end of the gangplank anyway, and her face emerged to see him squatting down to her level, concern etched in his face.

"Are you OK? What caused you to get so angry?"

In that moment, Rey decided to give Poe a vague version of the truth. "I fear that I'm losing... someone I care about."

Poe studied her curiously, his next question rather perceptive. "Are you talking about yourself? Or someone close to you?"

"Someone..." her voice trailed off. There was a slight silence.

"Is it Finn?"

She should just latch onto that, for in a way, that would be telling the truth - Rey always found herself fearing for her best friend's safety. Poor Rose Tico probably had it ten times worse. But Rey remained silent, unresponsive. Poe thankfully didn't press the inquiry further.

"You wanna see something?"

Blinking in surprise, she nodded. Poe pulled out a chain from underneath his jumpsuit. Dangling on one end of it was a golden band. A wedding ring. "I fear that I'm losing someone I care about too. But whenever I get too caught up in my heartache, I just look at this. It was my mother's. She gave it to me just before she died. She said to me, 'Son, when you find the one you love, give this to that person.' I hope I still can one day."

Rey fingered the jewelry, already feeling cheered up. "It's beautiful," she told him sincerely.

Poe blushed bashfully. "Thank you." A brief silence and then:

"You should just give it to them. Your special someone," Rey encouraged. "Confess your love, no matter what comes of it. Because at least then... you wouldn't have to suffer in silence."

Poe's grin brightened. "Yeah? You think so?" Rey nodded. The Commander squared his shoulders. "I might just do that. Excuse me." And he strode off, Rey watching him go affectionately. Her eyes drifted back to her nearly-forgotten lightsaber, to the stubborn spare part. And she realized: she needed to take her own advice! Plus, it might solve two problems at once. Rey set back to work on her weapon with a renewed resolve...


	3. Chapter 3: Taste of Balance

**Chapter 3: Taste of Balance**

The next time Ben appeared to Rey, however, she was forced to table her proposed plan for the moment. For the past few days, she had actually been doing an admirable job of not thinking about him, lest she accidentally reveal her intentions. If thinking about the other person was all that it took for the Bond to open, then it stood to reason in Rey's mind that all her thoughts - even those not about Ben - would be open to her Bond... partner. Sort of like the radio frequencies that tapped through to the _Falcon_ from time to time.

In any case, he must have been thinking about her, for Ben quite suddenly appeared to her a few days later, as she was cleaning Han Solo's former quarters. One tiny foray into his thoughts, and Rey knew:

His thoughts about her were _seething_.

Mercifully, perhaps for both of their sakes, Ben did not mince words. He got right to the point - which was to apparently hash out perceived instances of infidelity. If infidelity was even the right term for what each had seen of the other.

"What is your problem?" he blasted. "Look, with your power and influence, I understand that you probably have certain tastes in men. Really - I do! But _Dameron_? Poe fucking Dameron! His head's emptier than a Stormtrooper's helmet!"

Ah. So he _had_ seen Poe alongside her that day in the Naboo lake country. The expression she had caught on Ben's face had haunted her every night for nearly two weeks. It had been one of insane jealousy, which had led her to deduce that Poe had been visible to him. The questions that factoid left in regards to the Bond, however, had been a can of worms Rey refused to open - and had only worsened when she had clearly seen Gaia with Ben. Regardless of what Ben thought he had seen, however, his blatant insulting of her friend was not something Rey was about to take lying down. Not to mention his insinuation was... absolutely ridiculous!

"Oh, I'm not seeing _Poe_!" she scoffed.

"I _saw_ you! You _know_ I saw you! He was touching you and hugging you and... Force, it makes me sick!" In a strange way, the disgust on his face was sweet. The hurt in his eyes wrenching. As if he thought she could do better than Poe. Even so, Ben had no right to judge the Commander that way. To set him straight, and perhaps to also allay his fears, Rey got right in his face and exploded:

"Oh, for Force's sake... he's GAY! He's in love with Finn!"

Ben's eyes blinked in bewilderment, though the nauseous expression remained. "The _traitor_?"

Rey's hands balled into fists. "Don't call him that!"

"Oh, so you're in love with him, then? You like having traitorous Stormtroopers in the sack?" The sneer he flashed at her was ugly.

"Don't be _vulgar_!" Rey's face roiled with disgust. "He has a girlfriend!"

"A girlfriend? Oh, this just keeps getting better and better! What are we up to now - a love pentagon? You're not a Resistance - you're a hippie commune!"

"Yes, we are," Rey said sarcastically. "You and little Miss Sith are free to join at any time."

His entire face fell, indicating that he knew exactly who she was referring to. Still, he felt the need to clarify. "Gaia?"

"Yes. _Gaia_. This is the part where you tell me she's a lesbian and going hog wild with another chick!" _Please, be a lesbian... _

"We only have one female Knight."

"Oh, so she's not a part of your official harem stashed in a corner somewhere. Just checking. A Supreme Leader must have his concubines, after all. Experienced girls with... thongs and... big boobs!" Her ranting was oddly adorable.

Ben's eyes bulged in deep confusion and - satisfyingly - maybe a little fear. He had never seen Rey this worked up, and she had certainly been mad enough at him before. Mad enough to scar him with a lightsaber. Shoot a blaster at him from point-blank range... multiple times. "You don't know what you're talking about!" he spluttered. "Gaia and I are old friends!"

Rey snorted. "Sithspawn."

"It's the truth! We comfort each other."

The air seemed to get sucked out of the room at that moment. Silence pervaded the captain's quarters. Rey was studying the ground, and when she finally raised her eyes to his, she looked as though she had been punched in the gut.

"Well, then..." and her voice was soft, held an eerie calm - one that quickly faded with every subsequent word she spoke. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Congratulations. I hope you're happy with that vain, selfish, pigheaded _bitch_! -"

She didn't have time to even register that he moved. Calloused palms gripped her forearms and then -

His tongue was swimming in her mouth as he licked past her frozen lips insistently. He breathed hot air into her throat, stealing the shuddering gasp of air from her lungs. They stood stiff like that for a moment and then...

"Mmmmmmhmmmmmm..." Rey _moaned_ loudly, pathetically. Her big, beautiful brown eyes rolled into the back of her head as her lashes fluttered shut and she flung her arms lazily about his neck. Her lips twitched eagerly into his as she kissed him back with enthusiasm. Soon her tongue was floating, reaching, dancing along Ben's throat. Each seemed intent on swallowing whole the mouth of the other.

The desperate kiss slowed into frantic, smacking pecks and Ben's lips soon dove to attack Rey's neck as she leaned even further into him. She buried her nose into his hair, her cheek brushing his as she let him mouth along her throat. Every suckle pulled from her a tiny cry. "Uhhhh... Uhhhhhh..."

Ben continued his fixation on the curve of Rey's neck, now punctuating each kiss with a voice that was husky. A voice that Rey liked very, very much. "Tell me, my little Jedi vixen... did that idiot Dameron ever kiss you like this?" He sent a love bite into the edge of her shoulder. Then he nipped at her earlobe, tugging at the skin with his teeth until he elicited a happy whine.

"N...nuhhh...no..." Rey groaned. Her eyes rolled, her breath starting to come in rough pants. She felt Ben's arms glide past her forearms to take her waist, pulling her tight into him. Then, a giant mitt of a hand sank lower. He cupped the supple flesh of her bum and gave it a possessive squeeze, making her shiver.

_What a lovely first kiss,_ Rey thought dreamily. _What a lovely first... anything. _Not that she had ever given much thought to romance before Ben had entered her life. But this... she had been seduced by him completely. He could do what he liked with her. Could do what he liked _to_ her.

The warm kisses along her face abruptly stopped. Her eyes fluttered open, lips puckered expectantly, to find Ben studying her curiously.

"Why... why did you stop?" Rey's breasts heaved with every gasp.

"You're virgin?" Ben whispered, almost in disbelief. Clearly, he had heard her thoughts.

Rey nodded slowly. Her heart palpitated erratically. Oh, God, would he still want her...?

Sweeping her into another breathless kiss, Ben began backing Rey up towards Han's bed, his lover humming into his mouth all the way. Rey's content purrs pitched in slight fear as she felt Ben dip her gallantly back onto the mattress, but he held her gently. She knew deep in her heart that he would never hurt her. Both fell back onto the mattress, the pillow catching Rey's head as Ben hovered above her. He paused, ever so slightly.

"Is this all right?"

Blushing rouge down to her chest, Rey nodded. This was _more_ than all right.

Peppering Rey's lips, her face, her neck, her cheeks, with kisses, Ben began to reverently undress her. All the while, he guided Rey's nervous hands so that she could return the favor. Before long, the pair were both naked, pressed skin to skin. Two pairs of eyes locked. Two heartbeats stilled. Ben dipped his face close.

"If you are in any pain, tell me and I'll stop immediately."

"OK," Rey whispered.

Oh so softly, Ben pushed his throbbing, huge erection (Rey appreciated his girth with a potent blush) inside of Rey's dripping wet folds. Her eyes went as wide as saucers and she clutched him close. They both felt her purity give way and Rey let out a tiny cry. Ben paused instantly.

"Should I stop?"

"No..." Rey whimpered. "Please..." As Ben continued to move about inside her, she clung to that word like a prayer, sending it forth in a whisper as happy tears pricked at her eyes. "Please, please, please... please... please... please, Ben..."

Gradually, the lovers worked up a rhythm. Beneath them, the bed creaked and swayed. Rey learned what to do largely through experimentation, rocking her hips insistently against Ben's so that she matched his every thrust. Every slam grew in intensity, as Ben made love to Rey like a wild beast. And Rey responded with intense pleasure, making sexy, arousing noises.

"Uhhhh... Huhhh... Oh God... Oh God... Please... Ben... Ben... BEN!"

Her back arched, her toes curled, her body quaked, twitching violently as she came apart with a sexy scream. Another slamming thrust, two and then with a manly grunt, Ben spilled himself deep inside the beautiful woman. Pulling out, he scooted down until his face was level with her flooded pussy. He raised his eyes to her, the pupils shining with a hard glint.

"I want to taste you." The way he hissed it made Rey shudder with want and she nodded. Ben bent his face low, opened his mouth and then -

Oh... oh, _Force_... His mouth was on her, his mouth was _on_...

"Ohhhhh..." Rey began frantically bucking her heat into Ben's face, begging that he taste her closer, closer still. Unsatisfied, she resorted to sinking her fingers into his long locks and pushing his face deeper into her pussy. Ben's tongue was firing deep into her core, causing spasms to shoot up her body with every lap of her baby pink skin, covered with brown curls.

"Please... please... please..." Rey's voice was strangled. "_Please_, Ben! More! I... I need..." Her toes curled for a second time as, writhing, she reached completion. "BEN!" Her throat grew raw with every subsequent scream of his name, as Ben made her come again. And again. And _again_. Finally, when he had had his fill, Ben's face emerged from her curls.

Her face and entire body appeared noodly, limp, as she stared at him adoringly. A bit of her juices dribbled from Ben's chin.

"I love you," he breathed.

"I know," she murmured.

"Rey? Will you marry me?"

She stared up at him, enraptured, eyes glazed over.

"Yes," she rasped without even thinking about it. Without even completely registering what he had said. It was involuntary. Marrying Ben... there was nothing else that would make her more content.

Climbing up her body, the last thing Rey remembered before drifting into blissful sleep was Ben's lips back on hers, kissing her deeply...


	4. Chapter 4: Just Us

**Chapter 4: Just Us**

These days, Ben's most favorite thing to do (other than spending time with Rey) was to go out with his Knights and hunt for ancient Jedi and Sith relics.

Not being a Force-user, and even less of a visionary, Armitage Hux didn't see what possible benefit these relics could have to the First Order's war effort. Ben mostly ignored these protestations. He was the Supreme Leader, after all; he could do what he want. One thing he could not ignore, however, was that while his TIE fighter was maddeningly still in the shipyard, he once again needed to commission a ship. Only this time, someone else needed to drive it so as to let Kylo focus on his task.

That person was Hux.

Which is what found the Knights of Ren now on the jungle world of Ajan Kloss, waiting like Coruscanti schoolchildren for Hux to pick them up. The mission had ended in a successful recovery of the artifact, to Kylo's great relief - the double-bladed lightsaber hilt of a Sith Lord from decades ago had been recovered in an ancient Sith temple, overgrown with vines and foliage. Tracking the lightsaber of Darth Maul had been a surprisingly difficult task for Kylo and his Knights - searches in the most logical places, like Mandalore and Korriban, had come up empty. This had struck Kylo as odd; the other Knights had mostly shrugged it off.

The group of seven was now huddled around a small campfire, cooking lunch in the midday sun and watching the skies for Hux's shuttle. The ginger-haired stooge had been ordered to remain in Ajan Kloss's orbit; it couldn't be long now... Finishing his skewer of womp rat relatively quickly, Kylo got up to stretch his legs, wandering aimlessly around the edges of the campsite. That was when he saw it.

Stopping after he passed one particular tree, he doubled back to take a closer look at the stalk. Upon deeper scrutiny, there was no question: it was a jappor tree, the only tree known to grow anywhere on Vader's (and Skywalker's) home planet of Tatooine. For the Tusken Raiders and Hutts still native to the harsh desert world, the bark of the jappor tree was considered sacred. It carried a valuable price in trades with many of the Mos Eisley moisture farmers.

And, most critically, Darth Vader himself had gifted a pendant made from the bark of the jappor tree to his future bride, Queen Padme Amidala Naberrie - all when he was still a young boy.

Ben wondered if any trees grew on Rey's home world of Jakku - a sister desert planet to Tatooine. Not likely - she would probably appreciate a plant like this.

All of these seemingly disparate thoughts suddenly collapsed together, giving Ben a brilliant idea. Without a second thought, he ignited his lightsaber and chopped the jappor tree down with one swing. The barely mature sapling fell to the earth with a crash, causing several of the Knights to jump. Kylo ignored them as he began hacking away at a branch of the sapling.

"Kylo..." Lombard Ren groaned. "What... _are_ you doing?"

Cassian Ren, the joker of the group, grinned widely. "Haven't you heard? Kylo doesn't want to be Supreme Leader anymore - he wants to be a lumberjack."

"We've already got enough firewood!" Lombard scowled.

"This isn't for firewood!" Kylo called over his shoulder.

A moment's pause, and then: "Well, what's it for then?"

At that moment, Kylo picked the trunk of the sapling up and Force-flung it into the woods. The uprooted stump, roots and all, quickly followed. Lombard snorted. "You're going to chop down a whole sapling but use only one branch? You're not just a lumberjack - you're an idiot too!"

There was a sizzle and a crack before all but maybe 1/16th of the branch was discarded like trash past Lombard's head and into the bush. "He's not even using the whole branch! What the kriff is wrong with you?"

"What a waste!" Gaia scoffed.

"That's a matter of opinion." Turning his lightsaber almost completely off but not all the way, so that only a tiny tip of the blade was visible, Kylo began carving into the little scrap of wood he had left. Brevet Ren threw up his hands.

"This is insane. We're supposed to be preparing our final report to Allegiant General Pryde about recovery of the artifact. And what does Kylo do? He starts _whittling_!"

Gaia shushed him, as she watched Kylo whittle along the jappor bark with an earnestness that left her more than a little curious. "Kylo?"

"Shut up! I'm concentrating!"

"On what? Butchering a perfectly good jappor tree?"

Cassian stretched out, looping his hands behind his head. "Don't mind him, Gaia: he can't tell a good tree from jappor tree. Get it? _Ja_ \- _poor_ tree?" The other Knights groaned. The hum of Kylo's lightsaber finally winked out as he stood up and turned to face the group.

"Gaia, can I borrow your finger?"

The female Knight frowned. "My _what_?"

"Finger! Can I borrow your finger?" Shaken by the intensity of his request, Gaia held out her finger. Kylo huffed.

"The _other_ finger, Gaia. No. No. The one I'm pointing to. Not your pinky!"

Gaia held up the one finger not yet selected. "This one?" From this angle, it looked like she was flipping him off.

"_Yes_!" Kylo made a loop with his thumb and forefinger and held it around Gaia's finger. Then he pulled the loop back and held it up to his eye. Keeping the loop in place, he compared it to the tiny strip of jappor bark seated in the palm of his other hand. The Knights couldn't get a good look around his glove to see exactly how Kylo had shaped it. A moment's silence and then:

"Well. That explains a lot." The Knights exchanged bemused grins, as it didn't explain anything to anyone but Kylo.

The loud whine of a YT shuttle could suddenly be heard, coming in fast over the canopy. "About damn time," Lombard grumbled, readying his pick-axe.

Kylo pocketed the strip of jappor bark. "Knights: move out!"

* * *

They had shared another blissful night together, spending hours upon hours making love. Their times alone together had been far too sporadic for Ben's liking - once every several days or thereabouts. Which meant if Rey and Ben saw a chance to have something sweet, they grabbed it.

The only semi-regularity of their love affair, these trysts, was not entirely their fault. It often took coordination on the part of the Force Bond, and communicating what each of them wanted in as discreet a way as possible. The Bond didn't always open up to find them alone. If one was currently occupied with friends and allies when the other appeared, discussion was often reduced to lingering looks. Silent reading of thoughts running back and forth. Whispered sweet nothings, if possible. Eventually, a promise would be made as to when and where they might see each other again; at the appointed time, the lovers would jump straight into bed, working out their stress through hot, rough sex. Most often, Rey and Ben would make love in her private quarters on the _Falcon_ \- the young Jedi had pretty much made the famed ship her home, and at nights was left alone to sleep there.

Each fuck revealed new techniques to explore, new positions to try. On this particular night, Rey had boldly reared forward to take Ben in her mouth. Seeing her fist and lips wrapped tight around him, her tongue lolling out to lazily lick the upper reaches of his shaft, had made Ben come undone like nothing else had.

For her part, Rey had come to notice that Ben had a particular fixation with her breasts. As he wriggled above her, with his breathy grunts moaning into her ear, he would often pause to taste her breasts. Lick and take her pert and pink nipples between his teeth. Keeping a hand along the low dip of her waist, he would lift her hips off the mattress, so as to keep a better angle with which to pound into her whilst he feasted.

Ben, with his mouth on her breasts and his manliness in her sex and his hands on her body... the sensory overload of touch was guaranteed to make Rey cum, and cum hard.

Now, Rey and Ben were lying in bed together, fully clothed after redressing following round number... five. Rey had almost lost count. The night had a bit to go yet and both were exhausted, content to fall asleep in each other's embrace, if the Bond allowed it. Rey's head was now tucked in the crook of Ben's neck, as she traced lazy circles along his chest.

Ben hummed as his own hands wandered to caress Rey. "I like this..." he growled, groping her bum and wishing it was still not clothed. "And I like these..." he dared to cup her breasts.

Rey couldn't imagine why; she had always found her breasts to be quite small and flat. Certainly wanting in sex appeal. Suddenly feeling quite shy, she squirmed a little. "I... I can move..."

"Don't you dare move," Ben sent her a lopsided smile as he pulled her ever closer.

She dared to grin back flirtatiously. "The Supreme Leader commands, so I obey."

He didn't react to her playful teasing the way she thought he would, eyeing her with vulnerability and wariness. "Please don't make a joke like that. It's not funny."

Rey cast her eyes away, chastising herself for her insensitivity. "I'm sorry," she got out meekly.

"It's OK."

The Jedi went back to tracing patterns on Ben's muscles, and the pair fell back into a companionable silence. It was finally Rey who broke it as she wondered:

"Why are things so complicated? Between you and me?"

"You and _I_," Ben corrected her grammar without any haughtiness.

Rey grinned in amusement. "He's a soldier and a scholar." This time, Ben accepted her flirtatious teasing, pressing a soft kiss to her temple.

"What do you mean, my love?"

Rey snuggled closer, trying to find the right words to explain. "When I was a little girl, growing up on Jakku, I would come into Niima Outpost to fistfights happening in the market square. Someone would throw a punch and a crowd would form, pumping their fists and yelling, 'Fight! Fight!' I feel like the entire galaxy is that crowd, wanting us to fight. And... I don't want to fight. Not with you."

Rey glanced up into his face to find Ben smiling down at her in gentle understanding. "We don't have to do or be anything that other people want us to do or be, Rey," he told her kindly. "It can be... just us."

She stared at him dubiously, her big, brown eyes skeptical. "Just us."

"Of course. I can be... Ben. Just Ben. And you can just be Rey."

Rey smiled adorably, pleased. "I'd like that very much... just Ben."

Ben's eyes suddenly took on a longing quality. "Rey... I want to take you to bed. I want to make love to you."

She smirked seductively. "Why, Mr. Solo, I believe you just did."

"No, I mean... let's make love every night."

Rey gaped. "_Every_ night?" she croaked, her voice lilting into a squeak and her throat suddenly very dry and thirsty for more. "I don't want to go back to a world without this."

"Neither do I." Ben caressed her face, and she planted a light kiss into his palm. "I love you, Rey."

She moaned. "And I love you. More than my own life, I love you." Brushing her mind with the Force, Ben could sense the disbelief. _He loves me. Ben Solo is in love with me. Me!_ Ignoring how she called him by his birth name, Ben smiled. "I can prove it too."

Sitting up in bed, he dug around in the pocket of his black robes until he found what he was looking for. He had finished it just the other day. Holding it out to his girl, he explained bashfully, "I made this for you. It's made from the bark of the jappor tree, the only tree known to grow anywhere on Tatooine. Once upon a time, my grandfather gave my grandmother a trinket just like it. It will bring you good fortune."

Rey accepted the ring with a small smile, her eyes growing teary. Ben took her hand in his own. "Here, hold out your finger."

Smiling in amusement, Rey obeyed. He slipped it onto her finger: it was much too big. "Drat! I must have measured wrong. Gaia's knuckles are bigger than yours."

She stiffened at this, and Ben cursed his big mouth. "I only used her as a template to make sure I was sizing it right. That's all, I swear." To his relief, Rey relaxed.

"I believe you. In fact, it's kind of sweet, that you went to so much effort." Her face brightened. "I have an idea!" She revealed the golden Pasaana necklace from under her white Jedi robes. "We can thread it through this." She shyly tucked her long, brown hair over her shoulder, leaving the soft curve of her creamy neck exposed. "Help me?"

Throat dry, Ben nodded. Slowly, he undid the clasp of the golden necklace, then threaded the jappor ring through it. The pendant slid down to the parabola of the loop, so that it now came to rest directly over Rey's heart.

Rey craned her head back to beam at him. "Thank you," she whispered. They kissed lightly, and she giggled into his lips. Her face suddenly became quite eager. "I have something for you too," she confessed excitedly, also going for her white Jedi robes. Through her fingers, Ben could make out a similar cylindrical object, but more metal-grey in color. "You never know what you're going to find as a scavenger," Rey was prattling on cutely. "Or how useful it will be..."

Blushing shyly, she held out the part to him. Ben recognized it right away: it was an O ring, most commonly found in the hilt of a lightsaber. It was normally used to refine the beam created from an activated kyber crystal - ornamental, but for Kylo, functionally unnecessary. It was why his blade was unstable, and he imagined that Rey's now was too. He watched as her face turned even more red. "It was a left over part from my lightsaber repair, and I couldn't fit it in."

Ben smiled genuinely. "That's OK. It's an extra part, anyway." He now held out his own finger. "Help me put it on?"

Biting back a smile, Rey nodded and slipped the O ring onto Ben's finger. To the couple's surprise, it fit perfectly over his knuckles. "I shall wear it always," Ben vowed solemnly.

Perhaps it was that promise, that made the full weight of what they were doing sink in. Become aware to them both. Ben and Rey gazed deep into each other's eyes. It was the Jedi who spoke first, savoring each and every word.

"I, Rey of Jakku, take thee, Ben Solo, to be my husband, forever."

Ben gulped, but his voice was sure and strong as he echoed, "I, Ben Solo, take thee, Rey of Jakku, to be my wife, forever."

Leaning in, the lovers kissed softly. The kiss quickly deepened, but before it could get out-of-control, Rey twisted her lips away.

"Mmmm... wait. Wait... I'm not in a dress."

"And this is a tuxedo?"

Rey looked down at Ben's cowl before smiling. "Well... it _is_ black."

"And your tunic's white," Ben pointed out. "A perfectly suitable gown for a bride. Is there a veil? A-ha!" Ben playfully pulled the white Jedi hood over her head, causing Rey to collapse in peals of giggles. The laughter quickly died down, however, as Rey and Ben once again shared a smoldering look. Drifting closer, her eyes heavy and drooping, Rey covetously caressed Ben's face.

"I love my husband," she murmured.

Ben's lips hovered inches from hers. "I love my wife," he growled huskily.

And sharing a deep kiss, Ben lowered Rey to the mattress and began to undress her, so they could consummate their marriage and he could make love to his wife...


	5. Chapter 5: Wife Imprisoned

**Chapter 5: Wife Imprisoned**

When Rey got up that morning, several days after conducting a wedding in her bed and marrying her supposedly sworn enemy, getting captured by the Knights of Ren had not been on her list of things to do today.

A First Order battalion had attacked the Resistance base on Nar Shaddah not long after breakfast, scattering fighters to their ships in every direction. Igniting her lightsaber, Rey had rushed out in an initial wave to cut down Stormtroopers advancing through the city streets.

That was where, in the maze of the city streets, she had been cornered by a Knight of Ren.

The Knight's mask had still been on, so she had been unable to tell whether it was Gaia beneath or someone else. But before long, another Knight joined their duel. And another. And another. Being of a stubborn nature, Rey had refused to yield until six Knights surrounded her. Finally switching off her lightsaber, she surrendered and was immediately taken into custody. The elite group forced her to board their shuttle, as the Resistance-First Order battle raged on behind them. Just before entering the hold, Rey had caught the eyes of a panicked Finn, looking on helplessly as his best friend was abducted... _again_.

Now, the Knights' shuttle was screaming back towards the First Order fleet, currently stationed above Kijimi. Within the safety of their ship, and with Rey seated on the floor and bound in ion cuffs, the Knights one by one took off their masks. Rey was startled to find that her husband's handsome face was not among them. Which begged the question: did he know of this mission? Surely not. But if he did... did he order it? And why?

The Knight co-pilot, a hulking, brute of a man whom Rey heard someone call Lombard, stood and walked back to Rey as the shuttle made its final approach. "Don't you make a noise, dearie," he leered at Rey licentiously. "I like my prisoners... submissive."

Rey's stomach roiled even more than it had usually been these last several weeks. It was a wonder she hadn't thrown up yet today - an occurrence that had become regular since she and Ben had reconnected, and which she had chalked up as a bad stomach bug. Still, she kept her voice strong as she whispered angrily, "Go to hell!"

Lombard just smirked as Gaia made final preparations to land. Once the thrusters were powered down, Rey was hauled to her feet. Keeping a tight formation around her, the Knights marched in lock-step down the gangplank and into the hangar bay of the illustrious First Order cruiser.

Yards away, Rey spied the tell-tale head of hair that was her husband instantly. The mixture of anger and confusion on his face made her heart alight with the hope that, whatever the Knights' mission had been, Ben had been left conspicuously out of the loop.

"Where in Vader's name have you idiots been?" Ben demanded.

"Nar Shaddah," Brevet Ren, a more boyish Knight, shrugged nonchalantly. "We've been spoiling for a fight!"

Ben steamed. "I told you to wait on the command ship!"

"But, Master!" Lombard grinned triumphantly, as he stepped aside to reveal their catch. "We got the Last Jedi! We captured the Last Jedi!"

Rey and Ben's eyes locked, but she didn't have time to take in her husband's expression before Xavier Ren was shouting, "Excuse me! _We_? You mean _I_._ I_ was the one who cornered her!"

"Yeah, but _I_ made her surrender!" Theseus Ren barked.

"The credit's mine! Who put the cuffs on her?" Lombard roared rhetorically.

In an instant, the Knights were eagerly fighting each other. In the confusion, Ben roughly yanked his wife out of the way.

"Atten-TION!" Ben's command made the Knights snap into a salute position. Only then did the Supreme Leader's voice soften. "Well... I'm certainly proud of you... you bloody, KRIFFING IDIOTS!" Igniting his lightsaber, he whirled it menacingly, throwing several of the Knights back with the Force. Amidst his wild motions, Rey could read the panicked, scattered thoughts he now shared only with her: _You. How could they bring __you __here__?!_

Lombard, one of the only Knights to stand his ground, scowled suspiciously. "What's the problem, Master? We figured you would be happy! We've turned the tide of this war!"

"You deliberately disobeyed my orders!" Kylo screamed at him. Stalking towards his Beta Knight, he got right in Lombard's face. "What were my orders, Lombard? What. Did. I. Say?"

Lombard's frown deepened, even as he ground out, "Leave the Last Jedi to you."

"Exactly." Inside, Rey sagged in relief. So Ben _hadn't_ ordered her capture. Ben turned to the rest of his Knights with a snap of his cape. "You will all leave me this instant! Check on the new Stormtrooper battalions, then return to your barracks and await my orders."

"But, sir..." Cassian asked and he gestured to Rey. "What about her?"

"What did I _just_ say, Cassian?!" Ben exploded.

"Leave the Last Jedi to you," Cassian recited like a chastised child.

"Precisely. As all high-profile prisoners should be left to me. Now leave me, all of you! You have your orders - now follow them, Makerdamn it!" The Knights all slunk away, Lombard brooding darkly. "And as for you..." Ben growled to Rey darkly under the Knights' retreating backs. "Come with me."

Grabbing her ion cuffs, he guided her out of the hangar bay and through a series of hallways until they came to a darkened corner of the ship. Under the cover of blackness, Ben waved his hands. The ion cuffs came off with a clatter.

And then Rey was in his arms, as he kissed her desperately again and again. Purring in relief, Rey kissed him back, throwing her arms around him. She buried her nose into his fragrant hair, inhaling the sweet smell. The smell of _her_ Ben.

"Hmmm... Ben..."

When they broke the kiss at last, Ben looked his wife over, giving her a little shake. "Did they hurt you?"

"No." Her brown eyes were wide.

"Did they _touch_ you?"

"No. Lombard looked like he wanted to, but..."

"He's a brute. Sex addict. Has fewer brains than your pilot friend, but still dangerous. Stay far away from him, if you can..." He was wringing his hands in barely concealed terror. "They never should have brought you into this. I had nothing to do with this, Rey! You have to believe me!"

"I do, my love." Rey smiled at him gently, even as she melted into his arms. "What are we going to _do_?"

Pulling her tighter into his chest, Ben stroked her hair, his mind whirring, deep in thought. "We'll have to keep up appearances. You're a prisoner and I'm your captor."

"Well, you've already captured my heart and soul," Rey smiled with love. "What's the harm of having my body, too? Oh, wait... you already have." She wiggled her eyebrows at him.

"While I adore how romantic you get, love, this is serious..." Ben huffed out a breath. "I wish I didn't have to lock you up. A husband should be able to sleep with his wife."

"That's what the Bond is for," Rey shrugged. "We'll manage."

"I hope so..." Ben mumbled. He was startled by how calm his wife seemed to be about all this, but he figured if she was, maybe - if they were careful - he could be too. That philosophy lasted all of a hot minute as he suddenly started. "Your ring!"

"What?"

"The jappor ring I gave you - where is it?!"

Rey pulled it out from under her tunic. "Here."

"Keep it hidden," he told her. "One of them might see it and piece it together; they saw me making it on Ajan Kloss."

"What about you?" Rey asked, noting how the O-ring was still on his finger.

Ben gave her a strained grin. "You let me worry about that." With a giant hand, he caressed her face. Lightly kissed her lips. "I love you."

Rey beamed. "I love you too."

* * *

When the next artifact hunt arose on the schedule, Kylo was torn between bringing his wife along with him and leaving her in the relative safety of the First Order flagship. Between keeping her away from the Knights and not letting her out of his sight. In the end, he elected to bring Rey along for the trip, mitigating her proximity to his comrades (whom he was starting to trust less and less) by sitting with her as her guard. Lombard was left to pilot the shuttle.

They were in the Outer Rim Territories, piloting near a forest planet, when Rey spoke up. "I have to use the restroom, please."

"I'll unlock you from the floor, but you'll have to stay in your cuffs," Kylo told her.

"Kylo, shut up! And stay where you are, bitch! We're almost there," Lombard barked from the pilot's seat.

Kylo had to refrain from showing a scowl, but there was no need. Rey did it for him. "Last time I checked, you're not Master of the Knights of Ren, Lombard," she snapped. "Why should I listen to you?"

A strained silence came over the shuttle. Lombard rose slowly, switching the ship into autopilot as he came back around to the prisoner. He grinned at her ghoulishly. "Because you belong to me, now, sweetheart. If I say dig a ditch, you dig it. If I say fill it up, you fill it up! If I say get down on your knees..." He didn't finish, but let the implication hang in the air clear as smoke.

Kylo had to refrain from throttling his comrade with the Force. Bile rose in Rey's throat at the sexual innuendo. She glared at Lombard as he retook his seat. "I don't belong to anyone," she growled low.

"What?"

"I don't belong to anyone... you can't tell me what to do!" All at once, she rushed forward (so that Ben noticed for the first time that her floor restraints had come loose) and hooked the chain of her ion cuffs around Lombard's throat. The shuttle lurched dangerously as the Knights began all shouting at once.

Lombard was clawing at his throat, as Rey put some muscle into it and yanked back harder. He didn't look so tough now. "Shoot her!" he gargled. "Fucking shoot her!"

Near the back, Theseus Ren stood up with a blaster and took aim. Ben thought fast. As the shuttle lurched yet again, enough to be pulled into the nearby planet's orbit, he used the momentum of the tilt to hurl his body into Theseus's just before the blaster went off. Theseus lost his balance and his aim, the path of the blaster bolt thrown off so that it pulverized a key section of the control panel instead.

Lombard's face was rapidly turning purple. At the last second, Rey let up and began clawing at his face. Strapped into his seat, Lombard couldn't do much to fight her off and the continued lurching of the ship compelled the other Knights to stay where they were.

"Gaia!" Lombard screamed. "Status report on our numbers!"

In the co-pilot's chair, Gaia performed the routine scan. "OK: airspeed - fine. Autopilot - fine. Altitude... failing?!"

The shuttle was indeed losing height fast, quickly entering the planet's atmosphere.

"Gaia, get us off autopilot!" Brevet muscled his way to the front. "I can fix it!" He flipped a switch, causing the ship to suddenly quake even more violently. He blinked. "That wasn't right."

"You retard! You put us on manual!" Gaia screamed.

Throwing her body almost on top of Lombard's, Rey struggled for control of the yoke. The shuttle banked hard to the right and grazed a nearby mountain, slicing off one of the wings.

"You did that on purpose, you fucking kamikaze!" Lombard screeched. The shuttle began to plummet towards the earth. Lombard finally found the strength to throw Rey off and to the floor. Brevet frantically scanned the control panel for anything that could save them. His face brightened.

"Landing gear!"

He opened the landing gear hatch... and there was a crunch as the canopy of the trees they were now level with managed to slice the wheels clean off. "No landing gear! We're gonna crash!"

Dipping below the canopy, the shuttle bashed its way through branches and trees. At last, there was a sickening scrape as the shuttle finally crash-landed in the middle of a dense forest. Lombard's head was thrown into the windshield on impact, slightly cracking the glass. Amazingly, he appeared only dazed but not severely harmed. The nose of the shuttle burst into flames and the interior rapidly filled with smoke.

Ben groped his way out of the wreckage, the Knights following one by one. Outside, his stomach churned to see Lombard beating his wife over the head in a fit of rage. With her wrists still in ion cuffs, Rey could do little to fight back.

Ben rushed over, tossing Lombard off. "Leave her alone!"

Lombard glowered in nearly uncontrollable rage. "Why? She fucking crashed us..."

"Only I deal with the prisoner, Lombard!"

Lombard suddenly sneered. "Go ahead, then," he called his Alpha's bluff. "Finish the job."

Ben locked eyes with Rey. He could never, ever hurt her, but if he didn't, Lombard would work out the truth. He had failed to hide the depths of his feelings for her from Snoke. Revealing that to Lombard by whatever he did do - or, in this case, did _not_ do - would put his bride in probably just as much, if not more, danger than she had been with Snoke.

Snoke... Keeping his thoughts cooly closed off, Ben got an idea. Turning back to Lombard, he shrugged off his cowl, then unclipped his lightsaber from his belt. He passed the hilt to his comrade, blade side out.

"Here. I like to beat my prisoners with my fists." Lombard reached out a hand to take the saber as Kylo stepped closer...

... and flipped the switch.

Much like Han Solo before him, Lombard was pierced clean through the chest before he even realized what hit him. Teeth bared, Kylo yanked the blade back out of the Knight's torso, swung and cut his head off in one, clean stroke.

There was an instant uproar from the other Knights. Theseus whipped out his blaster and fired. Kylo deflected one, two, three shots, leapt close and hacked Theseus's blaster arm clean off.

"Ahhhhh!" There was a howl of pain.

"What the fuck are you _doing_?!" Gaia screamed.

"STOP! STOP! EVERYBODY JUST STOP!" Brevet bellowed, leaping into the middle of the fray. The burst of violence halted as quickly as it had started. Kylo powered down his lightsaber. Rey scooted away from the group, face white with horror. The only sound that could be heard was Theseus's whimpering, as he held his bleeding stump.

"KNEEL!" Kylo growled. The five remaining Knights exchanged looks - some wary, some defiant - before getting down on their knees. Theseus struggled a little bit; Xavier Ren had to help him.

"The next person who touches a hair on her head will end up like him!" Kylo swung the lightsaber hilt back in the direction of Lombard's decapitated corpse. "Do you understand?!"

"Understood," the Knights rumbled in unison.

Theseus staggered to his feet, looking absolutely murderous as he glared daggers at Rey. "If I had both my arms..." he growled low.

"Well, the fact is you don't, Theseus!" Kylo snapped. "So I suggest you just wait until morning. Gaia will make a tourniquet, fix your arm..."

"And then we're out of here!" Theseus yelled.

"Precisely. Xavier, set up camp. Cassian, dispose of the body." As the Knights went to their respective tasks, Ben allowed himself to steal one tender look at Rey. He smiled in relief. Rey shakily smiled back, grateful that once again, he had risked everything to protect her.


	6. Chapter 6: An Understanding

**Chapter 6: An Understanding**

After four weeks of exploring the dense forest of their planet prison (which turned out to be Endor), searching for any possible civilization, a base, _something_, Rey had come to the conclusion that being stranded with six dark side users was only marginally better than being directly imprisoned by them. At least her ion cuffs were now off.

Over those weeks, Ben continued doggedly in the same direction, certain that they would find some civilization to take them in, create a base of operations in which to find their way off-planet and work out what to do next. There would be no leaving Endor the way they came in; an examination of the wreckage by Xavier Ren revealed the shuttle was kaput.

Each night, the group would huddle around a meager campfire, Rey working hard to avoid the eyes of everyone except her husband. Accidentally, her gaze happened to fall on Theseus one night.

The bloody stump from his amputated limb had congealed. Gaia's tourniquet had helped in the healing. What had not healed was Theseus's lingering resentment. Perhaps clinging to that aspect of the Dark Side made him strong enough to get through the pain, even if the direction of his blame made little sense. Ben had hacked off the limb, not Rey. Even so, the Knight glared at her.

"Don't you fucking look at me." Rey averted her gaze. Finally, she got up and turned her attention to a nearby river running through their campsite. She felt quite grubby.

"I'm going to go for a swim. Take a bath," she announced.

"I'll supervise you," Gaia volunteered before Kylo did, as he often would. Kylo actually nodded in trusting approval. The women got up and walked towards the moonlit waters, Rey peeling her clothes off as she went. The gaze of the other men followed her.

"Eyes where I can see 'em, boys," Kylo snarled. Cassian, Theseus, Xavier and Brevet obeyed.

"Yes, Master."

By the time she reached the shoreline, Rey had stripped naked. Dipping one toe in, she lowered herself into the tide. The water wasn't fast moving, so she had no fear of being swept away downstream. She began to clean herself as best she could while Gaia watched. Eventually, Rey forgot the female Knight was there and began dunking her head and stroking around in the water. The swimming was liberating. How beautiful an element water was! Growing up on a desert world, she appreciated water more than most. Before leaving on the _Falcon_, she never would have imagined water naturally existed in an entire body of landscape.

It was many minutes before she emerged from the river to retrieve her clothes. Pulling her tunic over her head, she was just remembering her necklace when she saw Gaia holding the pendant. Fingering the ring on the end of it.

"You're married."

Rey's body actually started at the guess and she flushed. Where Gaia was concerned, it was probably better to tell the truth than to lie. "Yes," she whispered.

Gaia shook her head. "I should have known. I watched him whittle this on Ajan Kloss. He sized it on my finger and everything." Her voice sounded sad, and Rey strangely felt her heart go out to the female Knight.

"Look, Gaia... Ben and I can't help what we feel. I'm relieved he even returns my feelings. When I saw you and he that day through our Force Bond... I was jealous."

Gaia's eyes widened. "You share a Force Bond?" she whispered. "But... those are really _rare_."

Rey grinned sheepishly. Gaia sighed heavily. "I never stood a chance," she murmured. "I knew you must be special, for him to literally assassinate Lombard for you."

Rey was tempted to add Snoke's name to her husband's body count, but held back. Ben might not want that information shared. "Can I ask you something?" she blurted.

Blinking, Gaia nodded.

"Were you and he ever... together?"

There was a slight silence.

"Briefly," Gaia huffed through a deep breath. "I had broken up with Theseus not long before. He and I were both lonely, stressed out by the war campaigns. We turned to each other for comfort and to let some energy out, but... he didn't stay long. It just didn't work out. One day, he left for Takodana and came back... changed. I'm still depressed over it, really. Between that and losing the baby..."

Rey's face blanched, her heart skipping in fear. "You were pregnant?" she whispered.

"Not by Kylo," Gaia said quickly. Rey arched a brow in curious surprise. "It was Theseus's. I miscarried. It just... didn't work out."

Rey's heart broke for the woman. Compassionately, she decided to reveal something that might make Gaia feel better. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Gaia nodded.

"The Force tells me there is life with me. I am with child. So, I might be asking you for advice."

Gaia's expression was difficult to read. But finally, she nodded deferentially. "Congratulations. Although, I don't know how much help I'll be; I was only eight weeks along when I lost my baby."

Rey grinned kindly. "Still, that's something." Gaia weakly smiled back and finally handed over the necklace. Clipping it around her neck, Rey nodded encouragingly. "Come on. Let's go back to camp."

The two girls headed back to the fire. Halfway there, hands came out of the darkness and pulled Rey behind a tree.

And then Ben's mouth was on hers, and Rey was moaning happily as her hands rummaged along his chest.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Ben whispered, his breath tickling her lips.

"Wait and see," Rey giggled. At long last, they drifted apart, arms about each other.

"I love you, Rey. You'll make an amazing mother." Ben beamed into her eyes.

Rey smiled in return. "I hope so."

* * *

Ben and Rey followed behind Gaia back to the campsite, hand in hand. Approaching the campfire, Ben suddenly took Rey by the waist and pulled her close. Her eyes widened.

"Don't!" she squeaked cutely, her face blushing red.

"Let 'em look," Ben growled. And he kissed Rey passionately in front of all the Knights of Ren. Rey gave in almost immediately and returned the kiss with fervor.

The reaction to the kiss on the part of the Knights was actually a pretty mixed bag. Gaia displayed no reaction. Theseus's eyes turned to slits as he brooded, the fire's glow making his face ghoulish. "I fucking knew it..." he growled low.

Brevet turned to Cassian. "You owe me ten credits," the former happily chirped. Cassian paid up with a scowl.

Ben and Rey sat down on a log, clasping hands. "I have come to a decision," Ben announced. "We can't stay here. We can't continue on like this."

"Obviously," Xavier huffed.

Ben ignored him. "We've been missing for four weeks. For all we know, Hux has us presumed dead and is now on the hunt to kill us and finish the job. He's taken over the First Order."

Gaia cocked an eyebrow. "So, you're saying we can't go home?"

"No... but there is someplace else we can go."

Ben did not need to say anything further. The suggestion hung silently and as thick as the smoke around them. Gaia's blue orbs widened in the firelight.

"No," she scoffed, letting out an offended laugh. "No way!"

"The Resistance is probably looking for Rey as ardently as Hux is looking for us. They will welcome her back..."

"... and lock us up in cramped cells before throwing away the key!" Xavier exploded, though his scholarly instincts were correct. "We'd be better off under Hux!"

"We'd be _dead_ under Hux," Ben pointed out.

"And you think Organa's little stooge is any better?" Theseus chuckled derisively. "Poe Dameron is a ruthless military commander..."

"_Poe Dameron_ is an airhead who's never had an original thought in his life!" Brevet snapped. "What's the worst that he could do to us? What could he do to us that Hux could do ten times worse?"

"Like you're scared of Hux," Gaia scoffed. "He's a half-retarded womp rat..."

"... who nevertheless has the might of the First Order behind him," Ben reminded everyone firmly. "You don't have to be competent to take over an army." His gaze was steely as he took in each Knight in turn. "I know all of you are scared of what the Resistance might do. After all, they're rebel scum. But we should be thinking of our own survival now. I may no longer be the Supreme Leader, but I am still husband to an endangered wife. Father of an unborn child. I'm still Master of the Knights of Ren. I'm still head of this family."

"Then, I reckon you'll have to show me," Xavier snarled.

"Likewise," Theseus growled.

Ben sighed heavily. "I hope I won't have to," he half-pleaded.

"Or what? We'll end up like Lombard?" Cassian guessed. Ben tellingly refused to answer.

"And why should we protect her anyway?" Theseus jeered, gesturing to Rey. "She's the reason we're in this mess. The reason I'm a cripple. The reason Lombard's dead..."

"Are any one of you fuckers _really_ that upset that Lombard isn't here?" Brevet huffed exasperatedly.

"Nope."

"Nah, I'm cool."

"That's what I thought." The boyish Knight now crossed the campfire to take a seat beside Ben and his Jedi lover. "Ben is right. I stand with Ben."

The former Supreme Leader smiled. "Thank you... Owen." There was a pronounced silence. "I propose a vote," Ben motioned, encouraged by Owen's endorsement. "A majority of four will approve a plan. No one may abstain."

"So I can vote too?" Rey asked.

"Of course you can, sweetheart," Ben nuzzled his nose to hers. "All in favor of turning ourselves into the Resistance?"

He, Rey and Owen raised their hands. After a moment, Gaia actually joined them, tipping the vote.

"All opposed?" Cassian, Xavier and Theseus's hands all went up. "Majority rules. We track down the Resistance and let them decide our fate." Ben stood and began to stamp out the campfire for the night.

"But... but... we came all this way," Theseus protested weakly. His voice actually sounded soft for once. "We were supposed to be better than Skywalker and the Jedi. We were supposed to be heroes."

Ben regarded his comrade sadly. "Not this way, Teddy." For the first time all evening, the Knights seemed to register the use of one of their own birth names.

After living behind masks and aliases, living double lives, for so long, it was a sobering moment, to say the least.


	7. Chapter 7: In Anger

**Chapter 7: In Anger **

At first light, they headed out, and though much was between them and wanted to be said, the group barely spoke. At long last, the trees faded away, the forest giving way to an open plain, sporting grasses that went up to their thighs.

"What's the plan?" Gaia asked.

"We find a settlement, barter for a ship and then get off world," Ben relayed flatly.

"And how are we going to find the Resistance?" Theseus pondered.

"Simple. We go back to their base on Nar Shaddah. Don't you remember?"

"Of course he doesn't remember, Ben," Owen scoffed. "Teddy here was as high as a Star Destroyer on Coreillian sudafed during that mission. He was eating speed like it was candy! Weren't you, _Teddy_?"

Teddy frowned, but didn't say anything further.

"He makes a good point, though," Gaia pointed out. "Their base probably got wasted after we left. They've probably moved on by now."

Everyone looked to Rey at that moment. She just shrugged. "There were no plans to switch bases even before the attack. I wouldn't know where to start looking."

"Try the Force," Gaia suggested kindly. "You can sense your friends."

But before Rey could, a whine came from overhead.

"Get low!" Ben ushered everyone down into the tall grass. "We've got company." The band all watched as a very familiar freighter touched down across the plain from them. The gangplank for the _Millennium Falcon_ lowered, and Rey instantly recognized the two men who strode out at the head of the group. The darker-skinned one was carrying a tracker. Beaming, Rey stood up and broke into a run.

"Finn? Finn!"

Finn nearly dropped the tracker as he sprinted towards her. "Rey!"

The best friends embraced. "We tracked the ship that abducted you and it pointed to a shuttle with that same serial number going down here over Endor." Holding her face tenderly, Finn began checking over her for injuries. "Are you hurt?"

"No," Rey smiled. She glanced back to her... well, outside of Ben, she wasn't sure if she would call them 'friends' just yet. But the Knights were standing up out of the grass hesitantly.

Finn paled. "The Knights of Ren." He threw Rey back behind him protectively.

"Finn, it's all right," Rey squirmed under his arm and drifted back towards Ben. "They want to defect."

Poe drew closer, staring. "Defect?"

Just then, a bounty hunter in a purple, chrome helmet stepped forward. Eyes closed, she waved her hand, and Rey could feel a Force essence brush up against hers. Poe noticed the exchange and his brow furrowed.

"What is it, Zorri?"

Zorri Bliss's eyes opened and she drew in her breath sharply. "Oh, Force... she's... she's pregnant..."

Everyone in the Resistance froze in horror. Finn went as still as stone, his deep eyes rapidly turning to steel. His entire expression contorted into one of barely repelled rage. Bravely, he stepped towards the Dark side users.

"Which one of you?" he snarled. "Which one of you raped my friend? I know one of you has to be the father. So I wanna know who did it!" He began going around the semi-circle, sticking his blaster in everyone's faces. "Was it you? You?! You - oh, actually, it couldn't have been you," he faltered strangely when he came face-to-face with Gaia, actually pausing to turn back to Poe in disbelief. "They got a girl Sith!"

Gaia scowled. "We're not Sith..." But Finn was no longer paying attention. His gaze had fallen on Ben last of all. Somehow, through the Force's help or otherwise, he came to the truth.

"You!" He pointed his shaking blaster hand at Ben. "It was you, right? _Right_?! _Answer me_!"

Ben gave a simple, little nod. All sound seemed to be sucked from the plain. With a strange peacefulness to his voice, Finn stated calmly, "I'm going to kill you..." He lunged for Ben, but Rey got between them.

"Stop!" she cried, her eyes frantic with fear. "Finn, no! He... he didn't rape me!"

"A likely story!"

"Leave him alone!" Owen snapped, coming forward.

"And who do we have here?" Finn jeered as he got right in Owen's face. "His mama?"

"No, just his cousin."

Rey's mouth fell open in shock, along with Poe's. Finn blinked. Owen just smiled.

"That's right. I'm the son of Luke Skywalker, _bitch_! So _watch_ yourself!"

Finn glowered, cocking his blaster. "Are you threatening me, traitor?"

"Traitor? _Traitor_?! Who's the traitor, _Stormtrooper_?"

"Finn, Owen, please, stop!" Rey pleaded as she now had to get between them as well. "Finn, lower your gun! Ben didn't rape me."

"Rey, you don't have to protect him. Why are you protecting him? Besides the obvious fact that he knocked you up."

Rey gazed at him, resigned to telling the truth. "He's my husband."

Finn's one eye twitched. "_Excuse_ me?"

Blushing and hugging herself, Rey stated: "I've fallen in love."

Finn's stare snapped back to Ben and he wobbled the blaster in his direction. "What did you do? What did you _do_ to her? Raping her was bad enough! You had to seduce and bewitch her too? Use some kind of Jedi mind trick?"

"I did nothing of the kind," Ben denied calmly. "We have been together as consenting adults."

"Bullshit!" Finn practically squeaked in rage. "Utter _bullshit_! Rey would never... never..." The disgust on his face would at first not let him finish the thought. In the interim, Owen snorted.

"Jedi mind trick... of all the ridiculous... that's not how the Force works."

"She would never sleep with the likes of you!" Finn finally found voice with which to hurl the comment out at Ben.

"And who are you to assume who I would let into my bed?" Rey had just about run out of patience with her best friend, protective though he was trying to be.

"How should I know? I'm not the one who's been tricked into birthing Darth Vader the Third!" Finn spat.

Rey gasped in dramatic horror, her hands clutching her womb. And when she spoke next, her voice shook. Tears glistened in her eyes. "I'm going to try _really_ hard to forget you _ever_ said that!" Burying her face in her hands, she ran for the _Falcon_, sobbing. Everyone watched her flee, frozen in a strange tableau. Ben finally broke it by turning to Poe.

"Sir: permission to go and comfort my wife?"

Poe's face twisted into an ugly sneer. "Permission denied."

Ben stared at Poe as if to say, _Bitch, that was just a courtesy. I don't answer to you_. He finally sighed. "I don't have time for this."

Poe kept his gun trained on Ben as he simply walked right past him. "Halt!" Poe practically tantrummed. "I order you to halt!"

"Aw, shut up, Dameron!"

Poe windmilled his blaster back towards Owen, even as Ben strolled right onto the _Falcon_. "I swear to Maker, the next person who talks out of turn will be immediately courtmartialed..."

"Here's an idea: why don't you fuck right off and court martial yourself?"

Lieutenant Kol Connix got right in Owen's face. "You can't talk to the Commander like that!"

"He can say what he wants!" Cassian spat.

"He can, huh?" Before anyone knew it, Connix had whipped out a blaster and shot Cassian in the leg. The joker Knight fell with a howl. Immediately, blasters appeared in hands and lightsabers ignited. Before the argument could get any more physical, however, Poe sent three short blasts into the air.

"ENOUGH!" Silence reigned. "The next time this gun fires, it will be into the five dusky devils I see before me!"

The Knights looked at each other. They could deflect bolts, even kill Poe if they really wanted to, but that would certainly make their case more precarious than it already was. Gaia gave the order, and all lightsabers powered down.

"That's better," Poe breathed in relief. "Finn, Connix, place these clowns under arrest. Guard them well. There's an old Rebel base about two parsecs that-a-way. We'll camp there." As the Knights were marched away, he counted his remaining blaster bolts. "1, 2, 3, 4... 4 blasts. 6 Knights. I'm gonna need me a bigger gun!"

* * *

Ben found his wife in Han Solo's former quarters, her face buried in her hands and weeping. She had to clap a hand over her mouth to stifle the sobs. "Oh, Finn..." she moaned.

Wordlessly, Ben turned her around and took Rey in his arms.

"Let's run away," Rey pleaded, hands on his chest, staring up into his face. "Let's run away together!"

"And what good would that do? You need medical care... for the baby. The Resistance will give that to you. It's not you they're mad at."

"But Finn is," Rey whimpered, her lip trembling. In the next second, she shook her head to clear it. "I don't need him."

"Actually, I think you do." Rey blinked, surprised by her husband's mature response. She had always figured that Ben would be insanely jealous of Finn, for the former trooper's close relationship with her. Bitter that he had defected from the First Order. "Maker knows why, but you are clearly very attached to him."

Rey drew herself in further to Ben's warmth. "Finn was my very first friend when I had none. But... but that doesn't excuse what he said! He denied our marriage, Ben! Insulted our unborn child! That's something I don't think I can ever forgive."

"I think you can, love," Ben smiled down at her gently. "He was more angry with me, and he took it out on you. People say a lot of things - things they don't mean - in anger. Take it from someone who knows. Do you think I meant half the things I said on Crait?"

Rey smiled tearfully. "No. Just like I didn't mean it when I called you a monster."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you did," Ben laughed, rocking her gently. "At least the first time. We've come a long way since then."

Rey chuckled, nesting her cheek against his chest. "We sure have."

"And you and FN-... _Finn_ can come back from this," Ben encouraged her. "What's the one thing I've always taught you?"

Rey smirked. "Let the past die."

"Exactly. You and Finn can put this behind you, too. By all means, do it on your own time, but you shouldn't stay mad at him forever." He kissed the top of her head. "Now why don't we find that base I sensed Dameron mention and rustle up some supper?"

Rey grinned. "If Poe doesn't arrest you on the spot first." She laughed at his nervous expression; clearly, her husband hadn't thought of that. "Don't worry... I'll protect you."

* * *

Dinner in the mess hall of the old Rebel base was an incredibly awkward affair. The Knights, under guard by Finn and Connix, were eating with blasters literally trained on them. Hopefully, Finn mentioned, they would find some suitable holding cells in this base to quarantine them. Further down the table, Ben and Rey ate with Poe and Rose. The entire time, Ben would raise his eyes from his plate to find Poe glowering daggers at him. The former Supreme Leader's eyes swept to those of his younger cousin. Silently, Owen asserted that they were fine.

"Well... not that this isn't fun, but I can clearly see I am causing some problem, so I'm just gonna go... be excused..."

His wife clung to Ben like a vice. "Stay! Stay!" Rey whimpered, nuzzling her face into his neck.

"I'm think I'm gonna be sick," and Poe indeed looked like he wanted to wretch. Ben ignored him, bringing his face close to his love.

"Do you want to go to bed on the _Falcon_?" She nodded.

"You're not going anywhere..." Poe started to speak up.

"... except to sleep with my wife. Thank you for your understanding, Captain," Ben talked right past him. Picking Rey up in a bridal carry, he carried her back towards his father's ship.

Further down the table, Finn kept his eyes trained warily on the departing couple.

"He'll take care of her," Gaia promised.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Finn muttered, thinking she couldn't hear him. He should have known better. With the Force, Gaia had better hearing than a bat.

"What?" she eyed him with amusement. "You don't think a Jedi and a Dark side user can be friends?"

"They sure as _shit_ can be more than friends, apparently!"

"And what's wrong with that? Love is weird. But for them... it works. They bring each other... balance."

Finn noticed the wistful look in her eyes and peered at her curiously. "Is there something more I should know about?"

Gaia flinched, her eyes darting to his for just a parsec. "None of your business," she snapped, a little too harshly. However, in the next instant, her tone softened. "You know..." and she gestured to Owen across from her, keeping her voice low. "Owen here may think you're a traitor, but I'll let you in on a little secret: _everyone's_ betrayed someone at least once in their lives."

Finn frowned. "That's a very cynical worldview..."

"It's also realistic. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is... you were very brave. To work past your conditioning. Honestly, I've never met a Stormtrooper quite like you, FN-2187."

Finn's brow furrowed deeper. "I am a _person_. And my name is Finn."

Gaia blinked, but then her eyes twinkled. "Very well... Finn." She stuck out her hand. "Gaia Ren."

And the pair actually shook hands.


	8. Chapter 8: All For One

**Chapter 8: All For One**

Rey awoke in her and Ben's bed onboard the _Falcon_, several months later, to find her husband's side of the bed cold. Reaching out to him through the Force, she frowned.

"Ben?"

No response. Brow furrowing deeper, Rey clambered out of bed. She needed to get into a rocking motion to heave herself to her feet; her belly had grown steadily rounder. She was showing quite nicely, and many people told her so. Even some of the Knights had. Her husband's former subordinates were still technically prisoners of war, but were now finally allowed out of their cells to roam about the base. They were actively helping the Resistance now, and little by little, trust was being built. Teddy still didn't think the decision to defect had been the right one, and Rey had come to accept that they would never truly be friends. But at least he was grumbling less and less.

Exiting the freighter, Rey reached out for the Force again. Once more, no response. It was then that she remembered: Ben had left their bed in the middle of the night last night, to go for a quick walk, she had heard him murmur. Still half-asleep herself, she had acquiesced with a light peck on the lips before drifting back off. But why would Ben have not come back from a moonlight stroll? He wouldn't have gone far. And even if he had, it would likely have been farther than he meant to, and he was probably making his way back to base now after spending the night in a tree or something.

All at once, there he stood. Her Ben. The slight shimmer to his body told her it was through the Bond. He was... chained to something. And surrounded by water. Like he was a prisoner...

Rey screamed. "BEN!"

"Rey!" Ben cried plaintively. He looked out of frame, towards something approaching, but before that something could step into the frame, the Bond severed.

Rey burst into hysterical tears. She started running - well, waddling, through the base, calling for help. Before long, she crashed smack into Owen, who immediately took in her frantic state and shook his cousin by marriage.

"Rey! What's going on? Is it the baby?"

"They... they took Ben! They took Ben!" Rey wailed, tears splashing down her tunic. "He... he left to go for a midnight stroll, he never came back, the bed was empty this morning..."

Owen's face contorted into something primal. "Hux," he growled. It was the only logical explanation, and yet at the same time not, for how could a talentless thing like Hux make it onto Endor, abduct the former Supreme Leader and flee - all without being detected?

By now, a crowd was forming around the Last Jedi to see what was going on. Finn nudged Owen out of the way to hold Rey and comfort her.

"Don't worry," he vowed. "We'll get him back."

There was a collective _Huh?_ moment from the other Resistance fighters, all in disbelief that Finn of all people had made such a promise. No one was more shocked than Rey, however, staring up into her friend's face, blinking, eyes shining. "We... we will?"

He gave her an easy smile. "Absolutely, Jedi."

"Well, what in Vader's name are we waiting for?" Xavier Ren barked. A chorus of vengeful voices went up.

"All right," Finn growled. "Let's go!"

"Hold it!" Everyone whipped back to look at Gaia. "I think we should hold a vote."

"A vote? A vote on _what_, woman?" Finn ogled her.

Gaia pouted, looking a little hurt. "We're fighting for democracy, aren't we? We should act like one. Decide if a majority approve the mission, then select who wants to go..."

"Is this a _joke_?" Finn gaped at her stupidly. "We're wasting time!" And he began to stride towards the _Falcon_.

"Finn, wait! Halt!... I order you to halt!" Gaia snapped.

Finn went deathly still, before turning around at a bantha's pace to face her. "Oooh..." Many Resistance fighters looked at each other. If there was one thing Finn hated, it was being given orders by people out of rank. He was still learning to shake off the last vestiges of his Stormtrooper conditioning, and it bothered him when some people tried to take advantage of that ingrained instinct.

"You _order_ me?" he regarded Gaia with disgust, stepping dangerously close. "I don't take orders from anyone who hasn't earned that right!"

"And... good for you," Owen quipped disinterestedly.

Gaia scoffed, putting her hands on her hips, but it was really to mask the embarrassment she felt at bothering her friend. "I just think we need to be rational about this. Less... impulsive."

"What is there to discuss, woman? My best friend's spouse is in trouble. Ergo, we go get him..." Finn ranted.

Turning to the other Knights, Owen whispered low. "Is it bad that I kinda want them to make out right now?"

"No," Xavier grinned.

"Yes!" Teddy frowned in horror.

"Maybe?" Cassian decided to split the difference.

"Hold it!" Everyone's eyes now snapped to Poe Dameron. "If anyone is deciding anything, it's me! I'm in charge..."

"Hooray for us," Owen muttered dryly.

Poe ignored him. "... and I say we wait, make contact with the First Order, and try to make a prisoner exchange..."

"Right, like Hux is just going to give up his biggest rival. And for who? Us?" Cassian scoffed. "We know you don't want us around, Dameron, but we don't take kindly to being thrown under the bus, either."

Finn and Gaia looked at each other. A conspiratorial grin passed between them.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Absolutely, trooper," Gaia beamed. Turning to the others, she said calmly, "Get him!"

The Knights and Finn and even some trigger happy Resistance fighters all jumped the Commander at once.

"Help!" Poe cried. "Insurrection! Prison riot!"

"Can't you shut up for once in your life, Dameron?" Owen bawled, wresting away his blaster. "It's for your own good!"

And with that, the Resistance made a break for the _Falcon_. Reaching out through the Force, Rey found her husband's location and held onto it fast.

_Hang on, baby. We're coming. _

* * *

The _Falcon_ had barely touched down before the group was charging for the shoreline of the sea, situated on the edge of a grassy field on Kef Bir. In the distance, the ruins loomed dark and ominous. But Finn, in the lead, didn't stop.

"We're coming, Ben!"

"Put me down! Put me down!" Cast over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes, Poe was beating on Finn's back with his fists - and trying to ignore how nice it felt to be in the man's arms. Dumped into a motorized skiff, Poe panicked. "Finn - Palpatine's gonna kill us!" He had heard the stories of the Sith Lord's ghost haunting this place.

"Palpatine or no Palpatine, Ben means a lot to Rey and we've gotta save him! I know it's the most terrible house of horrors in all the galaxy, but we're going in there!" Finn pointed a resolute finger at the ruins of the Second Death Star, now half-submerged in the sea's photic zone.

"All aboard, everybody!" Owen called, sounding almost chipper. He helped Rey into the skiff. Teddy adeptly managed to rudder with only one arm and they soon pulled up next to the metallic ruins. With the help of the Force, Gaia led the way inside.

The ruins were dark and it quickly became apparent that much climbing would be involved. Finn urged Rey, in her delicate state, to go back and wait in the boat, but she wouldn't hear of it. So the former Stormtrooper resorted to casting Rey across his back and carrying her himself as they scaled the walls. Rey's scavenging expertise actually helped, from her position, although Gaia seemed oddly not amused.

Reaching one trench, Rey suddenly started. "He's near," she gasped. "I can feel him." Bravely, she called out, "BEN!"

"REY! REY, CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" Ben's voice echoed through the walls. Following the voice - and the Force - Rey directed Finn to a holding room.

The door to the room was actually situated on its side, half-submerged in water. Twisting the knob and ramming it open, the group had to duck low to enter the room.

"Oh, thank the Maker!" Rey leaped off Finn's back, wading through the water to her husband, who was chained to a hydraulics pipe. "Oh, thank... Mmmmmmm..." Pulling him in, Rey kissed him wildly, deeply.

"You... you shouldn't have come!" Ben gasped, eyes wide with panic. "The baby..."

"... needs her daddy back," Rey smiled back gently, though it quickly changed into a smirk. "Quit being noble, Solo. In sickness and in health, remember?"

Ben beamed with love and extended the cuffs that bound him wide. "Hux took the key with him. This structure's sliding into the lower zones by the second! Can you break the chain?"

"I can try," Rey bit her lip.

"Here, let me." Poe volunteered.

"No!"

Too late. Poe fired his blaster. Mercifully, the bolt missed Ben, but it also missed the chain, blasting a hole through the pipe instead. Water burst forth, quickly assisting in further flooding the room. Owen shoved Poe hard into a floating chair.

"Sit the fuck down before you hurt yourself!"

Rey now studied the chain. Concentrating hard and aiming carefully, she gave into her anger. Hux was gonna pay for this... trying to leave her a widow... kill her husband...

The Force lightning shot forth and licked its way up the chain, shattering it. Ben whooped with glee.

"You did it, Rey!" The couple happily embraced and kissed.

"OK, OK: escape now. Kissing later," Finn admonished. But his eyes were twinkling.

"Damn right," Owen grumbled; the water was quickly getting up to their knees. He grabbed Poe. "Come on, Boba Fail!"

The group splashed through the ruins, clambering out into sunlight and dropping down into the skiff where Teddy was waiting.

"We're gone!" The crippled Knight steered them back to shore. Getting on land, they made a break for the _Falcon_, when -

PING! PING! Blaster fire rocked the plain. Hux and red Sith troopers were advancing quickly to cut off their escape.

"RUN FOR IT!" Poe bellowed, and for once, everyone obeyed his orders. Finn spotted Hux set his sights on Ben and take aim.

"LOOK OUT!" Finn leapt into the way, taking the blaster bolt himself, right in the leg. Hux let out a frustrated growl.

"Finn!" Gaia grabbed him and tried helping him to the gangplank, eventually resorting to dragging him when his bum leg would not obey. Everyone clambered aboard, sealed themselves in from the blaster fire and Poe roared the ship to life, quickly jumping to lightspeed.

It was only once they were in hyperspace that the group could count their losses. Plenty of injuries were to be had, but none as worse as...

"ROSE!" Finn raced forward to where the technician was cradled in Connix's arms. Finn took the girl from Connix and was horrified to see his hands becoming soaked with blood. She was dying...

"Finn... save what we love, right? Save what we love..."

Rey, Ben and Gaia all gathered sadly around. Tears streamed down Finn's cheeks. Forlornly, he pecked Rose on the lips once, eliciting a smile from her face that was soon frozen, as she expired.

Despondently, Finn passed Rose's body back to Connix. "Put her in the captain's quarters." Folding into himself, he sat on the flat floor of the gangplank. Unsure what to say, Ben patted his shoulder before returning to the cockpit. Rey knelt beside her best friend, staring at him as if she had never seen him before.

"You took a bullet for my husband," she breathed. Flushing, Finn nodded. Wordlessly, Rey kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered. "I forgive you." And with that, she went in search of her lover, as Gaia took her place.

"Let's look at that leg, shall we, Stormtrooper?"

She began to set it, then make a tourniquet. As she worked, her face eased into one of deep concentration that Finn had to admire. After several moments of silence:

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything," Finn encouraged.

"... Did you love her?"

"Who?" Gaia felt her heart clench at the confusion, but decided that the second possible object of his affections was a question best saved for another time.

"Rose."

Finn averted his gaze, tears glistening in his orbs. "Not the way that I should have. Not the way that she wanted me to." He huffed out a breath deep through his nose. "Heck, Poe pretty much proposed to me, back on Kessel. I felt so awful turning him down." He glanced back to find Gaia sympathetically gazing at him. "Does that make me a bad person?"

A slight pause. "No," and Gaia's voice was almost tender. "No one can help what they feel, whether it's something or nothing. Just like another person cannot help but feel the same or not. I've been down the jilted lover path, too, you know. Twice."

Finn gaped at her. "I could never imagine why," he said sincerely.

She peered at him curiously for a moment before honing on something on the side of his face. "You've got a... a..." Licking her thumb, she reached out and wiped away a patch of drying blood on the corner of his mouth. The stroke of her hand caused Finn to freeze. Their eyes locked. Gaia finally drew away, her brown eyes deep, her lips slightly parted.

At last, Finn cleared his throat; the spell was broken. "I'm gonna... go check on Poe." And he left Gaia staring after him.

* * *

Rey's screams woke the whole base one night, several months later.

From then on, the _Falcon_ was a conduit of people flitting in and out, as nurses attended to the laboring mother-to-be in Han Solo's former quarters. More than once, Ben tried to crash the quarters to see his wife, but Doctor Kalonia kicked him out.

Hours passed before finally, with a wrenching scream, Rey slid her baby out of her. The little thing was quickly cleaned and washed and pushed into its mother's arms. One look, and both Rey and Ben fell instantly in love.

"Ohhh..." the Jedi moaned. "It's you..." She bounced the baby softly. "Look at you... you're _gorgeous_. And I... _I_ made you?" Her tears fell on her daughter like sweet summer rain as she began to cry. Kissing the child once, Rey named her:

"Padme. Padme Solo."


	9. Chapter 9: Something Blown Up

**Chapter 9: Something Blown Up**

It was a peaceful morning when the First Order ambushed the Resistance base on Endor out of nowhere.

Hux and his Sith troopers led the attack. Above them, the wind howling, his essence shimmering like a demon from every nightmare, was the Force Ghost of Emperor Palpatine, unleashed from the ancient Sith artifact that was his own lightsaber.

Caught in the crossfire, and shielding baby Padme in their arms, Ben and Rey Solo fought bravely. Beside them, the Knights of Ren massacred without regard to act as second line of defense for their friends. But not even the fearsome Dark Side users could halt Palpatine's spirit from invading Rey, intent on using her as his host. Struggling in an internal battle, Rey passed Ben their child. Eyes wide, she begged of her husband:

"Kill me, Ben! It's the only way to stop him!"

Anguished tears rolled down Ben's cheeks, and her cursed the Force for bringing him to this most impossible of decisions. "I can't hurt you, my love!"

Keeping the Emperor at bay, Rey smiled tenderly. "You could never hurt me, Ben. Not now, not ever. I won't ever blame you. Just... take care of our baby for me."

Ben gulped, the tears shining on his face. Wordlessly, he took Rey by the waist, yanked her close and kissed her. _Hard_.

She squeaked into his mouth, but then quickly gave in with a happy whimper. Nestled between them, beneath the swaddling clothes that cocooned their infant, Ben flipped the switch.

The blade of Ben's own lightsaber pierced the chest of his beloved wife. She stiffened in his embrace, the pain unbearable and she wrenched free of the kiss with a cry. A scream followed as Palpatine's spirit, trapped in the body of a dying host, expired forever.

The death knell of the infamous Sith caused the battle to actually stop as Ben, weeping bitterly, lowered his bride down to the tiles. "Rey... Rey..."

Seeing his chance, Hux rushed forward with a cry and shot Ben through the stomach.

"Ben!" Poe fired at point-blank range and brought the evil ginger-haired man down with one shot. Hux died with a roar. But it was too late. Finn and Gaia rushed forward, each holding Rey and Ben, respectively.

Eyes glazing over, and with a strange smile on her face, Rey caressed Finn's cheek tenderly. "We'll see each other again. I believe that." Reaching up, she kissed the corner of his mouth. "Thank you, my friend." She started to draw away, but Finn turned his head at the last second and captured her lips fully. Rey's eyes widened in surprise, but then they softened, and she allowed him to hold the kiss for just a moment before they broke apart. Smiling sadly, she died in Finn's arms.

From where Ben lay dying, he hadn't noticed the kiss his wife and her best friend had shared. But Gaia had noticed, and it made her heart constrict for just a moment, before Ben began choking, trying to get her attention.

"Gaia... Padme... don't let them get Padme..." Ben gargled.

Gaia and Finn stared hard at each other. "We won't," Gaia got out firmly, though her voice still bobbled.

Pleased with this answer, Ben followed his wife in peace.

All through that night, baby Padme's wails echoed through the base...

* * *

The First Order was on the run - a move that gave Poe permission to jump into an X-wing and blow something up. Finn wanted to join the assault too, but for a very different reason. When Gaia asked why of Lieutenant Kol Connix, she explained that Finn was back in his "Crait mindset."

Which, apparently, was to jump into an X-wing and blow _himself_ up.

Gaia found him heading for his X-wing with a determined look on his face. Drawing baby Padme closer to her chest, Gaia pelted after him.

"Finn, stop!"

"I'm done," he snarled, turning back to her in frustration, though tears of grief threatened to spill. "I'm so done!"

Gaia looked at him helplessly. "What can I do?"

"You can't do anything - I can! By going out there and killing something!"

"No! You're not... thinking clearly! Don't do that!" Gaia cried.

"Or maybe I'll just go out in a blaze of glory and make it easier for all of us!"

"No!" she yelped. "Finn... stay!"

He stalked closer. "Why?" he asked brokenly. "Give me one good reason."

"Because Padme needs you!" _I need you_, Gaia added silently.

Finn just shook his head. "That's not good enough," he said sadly.

She tried again. "Because you promised Rey."

He sighed, turning away. "Still not good enough."

"FN-2187!" Gaia's voice was strangled. She hated using his Stormtrooper serial number against him, but in a slight lingering trace of his conditioning, the invocation of it made him stop. His body primed for an order, ready or not.

And Gaia gave one - though not one that either of them expected:

"Kiss me."

Finn whirled around, his mouth agape and matching her own shock, but she didn't back down. Even as her eyes drifted to the ground. "I'm... ordering you... to kiss me." Knowing how he hated that word, she corrected herself softly. "I'm... _asking_ you... to kiss me."

Silence. Terrified, Gaia glanced up... only to find Finn now inches away from her. His proximity made her stagger back a step, but her eyes grew heavy with want as, slowly, Knight of Ren and ex-Stormtrooper closed the gap between them. Their lips met.

The gentle kiss quickly deepened, Gaia's free hand snaking around the nape of his neck. Their lips danced together in an easy give and take, and Gaia knew, as Finn's giant hands encircled her waist, that she had never been kissed quite like this in her life. Not by Theseus... not by Kylo...

Both her arms draped about his shoulders now, and Gaia barely had enough forethought to gently lower Padme down to the tiles with the Force before her mind rapidly switched off. Her eyes drifted shut, her skin alighting with fire as Finn's fingers came to rest along her hips. Their mouths dug into each other's passionately, before the lip lock finally slowed. Gaia drew back, suddenly feeling shy. Finn simply cupped her face and touched his lips to hers one last time.

For a moment, all that could be heard was the sound of their mixed breathing. Gaia's wide eyes indicated that she was still in a state of shock.

"That should have been your first kiss, Gaia."

She gulped, staring up into his face, and for the first time in years, dared to speak it aloud.

"Elizabeth." Her real name felt foreign on her tongue. Swaying into him, perching on her tiptoes, she kissed Finn again. When they broke apart, all Elizabeth saw was his smile.

"Beautiful." Elizabeth weakly returned the smile and they embraced.

* * *

Poe was nearing the end of his bombing run when he called into base. "Connix. How are things going back there?"

"All quiet, nothing to report."

"Good." A slight pause and then: "How is he? Finn?"

Connix didn't answer right away. But when she finally did, she reported: "He's fine. Haven't seen him all day, but probably with the baby. I'm sure he's all right..."

* * *

"Uhhhh... Huhhh... Mmmmm..."

They didn't even make it back to Han's bed on the _Falcon_, barely getting Padme in her crib before neither of them could stand it any longer. Finn simply resorted to taking her over the couch by the holochess board instead. Despite what little room they had to maneuver, their position allowed them to do the job.

Spreading her legs, Elizabeth arched her back as Finn thrust harder and deeper inside her, eyes rolling as Finn reared forward to swallow one breast whole in his mouth. She bounced against him eagerly, her moans growing louder, thirsty for more, more, still more...

"Finn, I'm... I'm gonna... Oh, _Force_!" He slammed into her again with a growl and she let out a hiss. "Fuck!"

Toes curling, fingernails clawing against his back so hard she was sure she drew blood, she came utterly apart against him; after a moment, and with a manly grunt, Finn followed. Dropping her leg from where it had been slung over his shoulder, he collapsed.

"I... I..." Elizabeth babbled. Her brain was static, only allowing for one phrase to fall into her head. "I love you."

Face buried between her breasts, Finn raised his eyes to her with a warm smile. "I know."

* * *

Following the end of the war and the peace treaty, the newly named Organa Republic decreed that a census be taken of the entire galactic world, and everyone went to their homeworld and hometown to register.

With Elizabeth's help, Finn was able to access his file within the old First Order's records, to discover that he had been born on the planet Stewjon, a Core World that was apparently the birthplace of the famed Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. The orphaned son of a shepherd, Finn was able to learn little else about his background. Not even - most disappointingly - a last name.

Still, with baby Padme in their arms, Finn and Elizabeth traveled to Stewjon, joining the throng of thousands of other displaced refugees. At the registration center, a Clone trooper asked Finn, "Can I take your name, please, sir?"

Finn thought for a moment. Not knowing his last name, he chose one of his own. After the kind, first captain of the _Millennium Falcon_, whom Finn had known for only a brief time before the old man perished.

"Calrissian. Finn Calrissian."

The Clone took down the name. It was a name Finn would ask Elizabeth to share. It was a name Elizabeth agreed to take... as his wife.

They married in a private, discreet and intimate ceremony in a chapel looked after by the Church of the Force. Terribly nervous and the picture of the blushing bride, Elizabeth was struck by Finn's passion as he proceeded to make out with her upon their being pronounced man and wife.

The Calrissians settled on Stewjon, on a strip of farmland with grassy fields and plenty of space for little Padme to play in. Not long after, Elizabeth's belly became round with child, and on a balmy night of tears and pain, she delivered twins - a boy and a girl with beautifully mulatto skin.

Without her biological mother's milk, infant Padme was kept close so she could nurse alongside Ferus and Cere - her twin siblings named after two Jedi who had survived Order 66.

On one particular night, Finn watched his wife nurse their adopted child with wonder.

"You're so beautiful," he breathed, his eyes dark with lust. "Do you have any kriffing idea, how fucking beautiful you are? How did I get here?"

In the fire's glow, Elizabeth smiled and blushed. "We saved each other," she answered simply, tenderly.

And kissing her sweetly, Finn knew she had never been more right. As Elizabeth melted into his kiss, the voices of a stubborn Jedi and a reformed Sith seemed to echo in the wind:

_Ben... I love you. More than my own life, I love you. _

_I love you too, Rey._

_And we'll always be together forever. Won't we?_

_Yeah, forever. _


End file.
